Knife.



7 -00?- 7 w p \\,,\BLE .7 'No. 773,782. A PATBNTED 1707- 1, 1904. s; 0. BROWN, J1.

KNIFE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1904.

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Witnesses Inventor.

seer AVAM COP UNITED STATES Patented November 1, 1904.-

PATENT OFFICE.

KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,782, dated November 1, 1904.- Application filed May 13, 1904- Serial No. 207,809- (No model.)

i To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL OLEVENGER BROWN, J r., a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Florence, in the county of Burlingr ton and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Knife, of which the following I is a specification;

This inventionrelates to knives such as are employed for cutting fruit and the like from trees. As generally constructed, these fruitknives are adapted to be held in the hand only .in one particular manner and to beused generally upon but one particular kind of fruit. By reason of these facts the hand of the operator becomes tired and cramped after a days labor and he is unable towork as rapidly as though his hand were not cramped. Furthermore, the field of usefulness of the knife is circumscribed by the fact that it is adapted conveniently to be employed for but one kind of work.

One object of the present invention is to improve the shape and construction of fruitknives by adapting them to'be held in various ways in the hand and to be reversed readily for performing different kinds of work and for preventing the hand from becoming cramped or tired.

Further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the construction of fruitknives.

WViththese objects in view the invention resides in a fruit-knife formed with a central,

ring to receive one of the fingers of either the right or left hand, a crescent-shaped cuttingblade extending at a tangent from one side of the finger-receiving ring, and a straight handle extending at a tangent from the opposite side of the ring.

The invention also resides n the particular arrangement of parts and in tfiHTr-ecisefletails of construction hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the manner of holding the knife in the hand. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the knife. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the blade.

The improved fruit-knife comprises a central ring 1, adapted to receive either the middle or index finger of the hand to perform various kinds of work and also to prevent the hand of the operator from becoming tired or cramped. Extending off from one side of the ring 1, at

a tangent thereto, is a straight handle 2, adapt- 5 5 ed either to fit along the back of the third and fourth fingers or else into the palm of the hand when the knife is reversed, as will be described hereinafter. An approximately crescentshaped blade 3 extends off from the ring 1 at the convex-portion 5 of the blade may be sharp- 6 5 ened also, if desired, to perform certain kinds of work.

will; be observed that the handle 2 is straight. and flat and that the line of its breadth or flatness is at a right angle to the line of breadth of the blade 3. This construction of handle is adaptedto lie closely and easily against the back of the third and fourth fingers of the hand, as will be described here inafter. l

In manufacturing the improved fruit-knife the ring 1 and the handle 2 preferably are cast in one piece, a pair of integral jaws 6 being formed upon the opposite side of the ring to receive between them the steel blade 3, which is held securely in position by the rivets 7. This method of constructing the improved knife is simple and inexpensive. Furthermore, the knife thus produced is neat and compact in appearance and light, strong, durable, 5

and effective in use.

The manner of holding the improved knife is varied according to the different kinds of work which it is desired to perform; In cutting certain kinds of -veget .able s or fr uit 9 I such, Ior instance, as e g-plant or gra esit is preferable to insert the middle finger through the ring 1, so that the handle 2 will extend across the back of the third and fourth fingers, and the index-finger will rest in the notch marked 8, the thumb bearing against the portion marked 9. it will be observed that the jaws 6 6, with the tang of theblade held therebetween by means of the rivets 7,

form a broad flat bearing-surface for the thumb on one side and the index finger on the other.

When the improved knife is to be used for other purposes than severing fruitsuch, for example, as cutting the bands or wisps which bind together sheaves of wheat-it is reversed in the hand and the index-finger is passed through the ring 1, the thumb bearing against the notch marked 8 and the handle of the knife extending across the inside of the third and fourth fingers. 7

From the foregoing explanation it will be apparent that the improved knife is adapted to perform various kinds of work and that it can beheld in different positions within the hand, whereby it is prevented from cramping the hand during a long days labor, as the ring can be removed from the middle finger and placed over the forefinger even while the knife is being employed to cut egg-plants or grapes.

In its novel arrangement of parts and in its precise details of construction the knife presents an improvement over prior devices of a similar character.

It willbe observed that the improved knife of this invention isformed with four distinct finger-receiving portions or surfaces-that is to say, the handle forms a bearing for two of the fingers, the ring forms a bearing for another, one side of the broad portion adjacent to the tang of the blade forms a bearing for the index-finger, and the opposite side thereof forms a bearing for the thumb. When the middle finger extends through the ring, the handle of the knife may be drawn AVAHABL'E 773,782

closely against the back of the third and fourth fingers, and the broad portion adjacent to the tang may be braced tightly against the thumb, whereby the knife is held securely in the proper position.

Having thus described the invention, I claim is- 1. A device of the class described including a ring having finger-supporting members extending in opposite directions therefrom, and a blade extending from one of said members and having its cutting edge disposed in the plane of the ring.

2. Adevice of the class described including a ring having finger-supporting members extending tangentially in opposite directions therefrom, one of said members carrying a blade the cutting edge of which is farther extended tangentially and is disposed in the plane of the ring.

3. In a device of the class described, a ring, a handle extending at a tangent from'one side of said ring, a pair of jaws spaced apart and extending at a tangent from the opposite side of the ring, and a blade secured between said jaws, disposed with its cutting edge in the plane of the ring, and extending in a direction opposite to the handle.

in testimony thatI claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL CLEVENGER BROWN, JR.

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Witnesses:

WM. M. R. BRowN, OHARLEs H. PA'rrERsoN. 

